President Salva Kiir and visiting German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock met on Friday to discuss the implementation of 2018 peace agreement and the upcoming elections.

It is the first time that the top German foreign policy official jets to South Sudan since her appointment in December 2021.

According to the Office of the President, Kiir and Ms. Baerbock also discussed the conflict in neighboring Sudan, which has since displaced nearly 500,000 people to the country.

Kiir’s office said Ms. Baerbock delivered a message of goodwill to South Sudanese leadership, adding that the visit signals a new dawn of bilateral relations between the two countries.

“The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ramadan Goc, said the President and German diplomat had cordial discussions on a number of issues concerning development, peace and security efforts in the region,” the statement reads.

Upon arrival on Friday, Ms. Baerbock was welcomed by peacekeeping officials of the UN Mission in the country and received briefing on the situation in South Sudan at the UNMISS headquarters.

Ms. Baerbock is also expected to visit the refugee settlement of Gorom, about 20 kilometers west of Juba, which is home to refugees from Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

There are currently 14 German soldiers deployed in UNMISS command staff and as military observers, according to DPA International.

On Wednesday, the German Cabinet voted in favor of extending Germany’s participation in UNMISS, while the decision is pending approval from the country’s parliament.